Over at Zeros2Heroes, Richard Pulfer asked "What's the best scare you've had in your life? ... The kind of scare which leaves your heart racing and your lungs gasping for air . . . but also the kind of scare which leaves you laughing much, much later."
Which was all the invitation I needed to write the following:
Many years ago, before I ever heard the term "LARP", there was a live action fantasy roleplaying game run out of Edmonton called DreamQuest. It took place 2-5 times a year, usually over long weekends at various tree-filled locations about an hour outside of Edmonton--30-100 players would dress up in costume, hop on a bus, and go out and interact with 20+ paid actors. Each weekend was built as its own story with a beginning, middle and end, generally with the last weekend being a culmination of the preceding year's storylines. (Interesting "I knew them when" aside: World Fantasy Award winning author Sean Stewart actually wrote a couple of Dreamquest "seasons", before going on to make his mark.)
One of the Big Bads of a particular year was the Karkadann, which was billed as a Black Unicorn. When you saw the Karkadann in daylight, it appeared as a fairly silly-looking guy in a baggy, padded costume that was capped off by what appeared to be a horse skull with a black horn in it. The character was played by then-local magician Sean Smith.
But the first time I saw the Karkadann wasn't in daylight.
I've never been good at sleeping anywhere but my own bed. As a result, I generally spent the first night or two of a DreamQuest weekend being wide awake, then would crash out immediately after the quest concluded and thoroughly miss the debauched party that took place afterward.
So there we are, maybe six of us, at two o'clock in the morning in the clearing where a bunch of my friends are camping for the weekend (I shelled out the extra fifty bucks or whatever to have a cabin room with a real bed). We're sitting around a roaring fire, with nothing but clearing for a solid twenty+ feet in any direction. I've got a clear view of the only clear path to the campsite.
It being two in the morning, we were all out of character, just sitting around shooting the breeze about The Cult ("The Cult of The Spidergod?" someone asked me later when I told the story, that cult being a part of the game. "No, The Cult the rock band," said I.)
Someone was making some good point about "Love Removal Machine" when I catch a flutter of movement in the corner of my eye. I turn to look at whatever it was...
...and I'm looking at a horse skull with a black horn hovering in the darkness a foot away from my face.
I fell backwards off my log and scrambled back, away from the thing. Four other people did the same. My friend Matt, who wasn't wearing his glasses at the time, was confused, mostly because he was looking at us beat a hasty retreat instead of what we were hastily retreating from. Matt says, "What's the matter?" I nod at the Karkadann, which in the meantime has moved to within arm's reach of him. He turns, sees the thing, swears, and starts running away.
I guess he got chased around the firepit a few times before making his escape, but I didn't see it--I almost killed a referee as I ran blindly out of the clearing. Stopped, said, "That's the scariest #*&%ing thing I've ever seen," and ran straight for the safety of the cabin. Which was unfortunate, as there was no straight path to the cabin available and I had no light to speak of. Whenever I hit a tree, I adjusted my path, but I didn't stop running till I had four walls around me.
IT WAS AWESOME.
Literally years later, I heard Sean Smith tell this story to other people, completely unaware that I was the guy on the other end of it. Apparently it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a brilliant piece of misdirection, and he was quite proud of the fact that he'd managed to walk into a clearing, lugging a heavy, clumsy costume along with him, and get within a foot of one of six people present without anyone noticing him doing so. I wouldn't be surprised if he still tells the story; I know I sure do.
A
Showing posts with label Friends of Foley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friends of Foley. Show all posts
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Lights are on...
Sorry, sorry. Mood's been in the toilet the last...30 years or so, and I'm trying cut back on the public moaning about how awful life is. It's unseemly (even if it is accurate).
So, not a lot of posting coming from me lately, and honestly, I don't see a whole lot more in the immediate future. But here's one bad thing I can whine about because I'm not doing it on my own behalf, and some good stuff that's going on.
First, the crappy thing. You may recall a year or two back I and Nick Johnson joining the online comics collective The Chemistry Set, where we released THE HOLIDAY MEN in THE MASSACRE MEMORIAL DAY SALE MASSACRE. There was a lot of good comics material on the Set, much of it unfinished for a variety of reasons, many relating to creators needing to do something other than a non-paying online comic to eat. Many, but not all.
For isntance, my favourite strip (other than the one I co-created, obviously), FCHS by Vito Delsante and Rachel Freire, stopped its ChemSet run after finding a print publisher.
FCHS, frequently pitched as "Riverdale, 90210", was a story about a group of teenagers in high school. Not the sort of subject matter that particularly appeals to my sensibilities, but Vito's writing did manage to hook me--the situations and characters rang true for me, something that's probably related to the story being at least semi-autobiographical.
But for me, FCHS's real draw was Rachel Freire's pared-down, cartoony artwork. Her FCHS work read to me like a cross between Dan DeCarlo and early Paul Grist. I loved it. My biggest gripe with FCHS's initial release on the ChemSet was that the creators had elected to work in a rigid three-panel strip format. I didn't mind the strip idea--in fact, I think it was great--but three panels every few days, well, I just wanted more.
Then Adhouse came along and agreed to publish an FCHS book. Vito and Rachel pulled FCHS from the Set and started retooling for print publication (losing the three panel tier along the way, which I still think is a shame.)
It was heartening to see Adhouse really get behind the book. In addition to Vito working relentlessly to let the online community know about the project, Adhouse released an FCHS teaser issue for Free Comic Book Day. I don't know the details of what went on behind the scenes, but as far as I can tell, a lot of people put a lot of effort into marketing a book I was looking forward to finally being able to read in full.
It's recently come out that Adhouse didn't get enough preorders and FCHS has been canceled. And that sucks.
I'm hoping Vito and Rachel come back and manage to find a new home for the project, either a new publisher or online. Not for them, but for me. As always, I want more FCHS, damn it.
***
GOOD STUFF
Happy Harbor Comics continued to earn its 2007 Outstanding Retailer Shuster Award this past weekend by raising in excess of $2700 for Alberta Literacy via a 24 Hour Comic event. HH is kicking in 10 cents for every dollar raised, which puts the total the charity will receive at over 3 grand.
That was last weekend. This weekend sees the launch of the Gilbert Bouchard Memorial Art Show: Visions of Comics. An exhibit of works by local artists, the show celebrates the creators, icons and history of the comics medium. The opening, at 7:00PM Saturday night, will have...cheese or something, and it will have me. I got my crummy sketches I did of Will Eisner in San Diego that I also got Will Eisner to sign shortly after the panel I drew them in framed. There is a reasonably entertaining story to go along with the piece--longtime readers of this blog (provided this blog is LiveJournal) might remember me relating it, but if you don't, or you want to hear the live version, or you just want to support the community and remember Gilbert, you should come down to Happy Harbor Volume One Saturday night.
Finally, thanks to Diamond electing not to release new comics on the Wednesday between Christmas and New Years this year, the Harbor's declared that Local Creators week. For those seven days, the New This Week shelves will feature comics almost exclusively by local creators. I believe Jay's talking to people about doing signings too. I wonder if I could talk Fiona and Nick into coming up...
***
SPEAKING OF FIONA...
...This used to be the weirdest interview with her ever, but apparently who- or whatever replaced words in her answers with more Lovecraftian language ("comic" became "jocose") has undone what they did. Still a nice interview, but I kind of miss the sensation I got when I first read it that I'd either fallen into a David Lynch film or suffered a massive stroke.
***
ALSO...
There's talk of someone doing a movie of Chris Carter's MILLENNIUM, with original series star Lance Henriksen reprising his role as profiler Frank Black. Sounds like Carter might not be involved, but then, I don't know how involved he was in the second season of the show (my favourite), either.
Millennium had two of the absolute best season-ending images ever, the super-bleak "We probably won't be back for a third season" S2 finale, and the final image of season 3.
Now all we need is for David Lynch to return to Twin Peaks and I can die of geek nostalgia-induced bliss.
A
So, not a lot of posting coming from me lately, and honestly, I don't see a whole lot more in the immediate future. But here's one bad thing I can whine about because I'm not doing it on my own behalf, and some good stuff that's going on.
First, the crappy thing. You may recall a year or two back I and Nick Johnson joining the online comics collective The Chemistry Set, where we released THE HOLIDAY MEN in THE MASSACRE MEMORIAL DAY SALE MASSACRE. There was a lot of good comics material on the Set, much of it unfinished for a variety of reasons, many relating to creators needing to do something other than a non-paying online comic to eat. Many, but not all.
For isntance, my favourite strip (other than the one I co-created, obviously), FCHS by Vito Delsante and Rachel Freire, stopped its ChemSet run after finding a print publisher.
FCHS, frequently pitched as "Riverdale, 90210", was a story about a group of teenagers in high school. Not the sort of subject matter that particularly appeals to my sensibilities, but Vito's writing did manage to hook me--the situations and characters rang true for me, something that's probably related to the story being at least semi-autobiographical.
But for me, FCHS's real draw was Rachel Freire's pared-down, cartoony artwork. Her FCHS work read to me like a cross between Dan DeCarlo and early Paul Grist. I loved it. My biggest gripe with FCHS's initial release on the ChemSet was that the creators had elected to work in a rigid three-panel strip format. I didn't mind the strip idea--in fact, I think it was great--but three panels every few days, well, I just wanted more.
Then Adhouse came along and agreed to publish an FCHS book. Vito and Rachel pulled FCHS from the Set and started retooling for print publication (losing the three panel tier along the way, which I still think is a shame.)
It was heartening to see Adhouse really get behind the book. In addition to Vito working relentlessly to let the online community know about the project, Adhouse released an FCHS teaser issue for Free Comic Book Day. I don't know the details of what went on behind the scenes, but as far as I can tell, a lot of people put a lot of effort into marketing a book I was looking forward to finally being able to read in full.
It's recently come out that Adhouse didn't get enough preorders and FCHS has been canceled. And that sucks.
I'm hoping Vito and Rachel come back and manage to find a new home for the project, either a new publisher or online. Not for them, but for me. As always, I want more FCHS, damn it.
***
GOOD STUFF
Happy Harbor Comics continued to earn its 2007 Outstanding Retailer Shuster Award this past weekend by raising in excess of $2700 for Alberta Literacy via a 24 Hour Comic event. HH is kicking in 10 cents for every dollar raised, which puts the total the charity will receive at over 3 grand.
That was last weekend. This weekend sees the launch of the Gilbert Bouchard Memorial Art Show: Visions of Comics. An exhibit of works by local artists, the show celebrates the creators, icons and history of the comics medium. The opening, at 7:00PM Saturday night, will have...cheese or something, and it will have me. I got my crummy sketches I did of Will Eisner in San Diego that I also got Will Eisner to sign shortly after the panel I drew them in framed. There is a reasonably entertaining story to go along with the piece--longtime readers of this blog (provided this blog is LiveJournal) might remember me relating it, but if you don't, or you want to hear the live version, or you just want to support the community and remember Gilbert, you should come down to Happy Harbor Volume One Saturday night.
Finally, thanks to Diamond electing not to release new comics on the Wednesday between Christmas and New Years this year, the Harbor's declared that Local Creators week. For those seven days, the New This Week shelves will feature comics almost exclusively by local creators. I believe Jay's talking to people about doing signings too. I wonder if I could talk Fiona and Nick into coming up...
***
SPEAKING OF FIONA...
...This used to be the weirdest interview with her ever, but apparently who- or whatever replaced words in her answers with more Lovecraftian language ("comic" became "jocose") has undone what they did. Still a nice interview, but I kind of miss the sensation I got when I first read it that I'd either fallen into a David Lynch film or suffered a massive stroke.
***
ALSO...
There's talk of someone doing a movie of Chris Carter's MILLENNIUM, with original series star Lance Henriksen reprising his role as profiler Frank Black. Sounds like Carter might not be involved, but then, I don't know how involved he was in the second season of the show (my favourite), either.
Millennium had two of the absolute best season-ending images ever, the super-bleak "We probably won't be back for a third season" S2 finale, and the final image of season 3.
Now all we need is for David Lynch to return to Twin Peaks and I can die of geek nostalgia-induced bliss.
A
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Future of Comics - Update
THE FUTURE OF COMICS (I), FIONA STAPLES is interviewed by Suzette Chan for the latest edition of Sequential Tart.
THE FUTURE OF COMICS (II), JOHN KEANE has relocated to the wilds of British Columbia, where I predict he will eat lots of venison and over time become a venerable animation veteran.
THE FUTURE OF COMICS (III) NICK JOHNSON has started his first year at the Alberta College of Art (and Design.) I haven't heard boo from him over the last couple of weeks, but expect he's currently occupied scooping his brains off the classroom wall and reinserting them in his recently-exploded head. That's what I was doing in my first month of art college.
As for myself...talking to lots of people about lots of things, some of which may come to something. New migraine meds mean vastly improved CRIPPLING FACEPAIN! (tm) situation and vastly diminished "Sleeping like a human being at night/being fully conscious during the day" situation. Am probably not going to finish reading "The Evolution of God" before it needs to be returned to the library, but am resisting the urge to skip to the end to discover how it all turns out (my theory: he doesn't actually exist). I'm forgetting something. Actually, I'm forgetting almost everything. New television season starting soon--might be able to get back to knowing what day it is without needing to consult a real person.
What else, what else...? Oh, yeah.
GORD!
Odds are you will never know what that's funny, but even if you did, I doubt you'd find it as funny as I do.
Good night, my little remote carstarters. May your dreams be filled with sexy robot assassins and lemon jell-o.
A
THE FUTURE OF COMICS (II), JOHN KEANE has relocated to the wilds of British Columbia, where I predict he will eat lots of venison and over time become a venerable animation veteran.
THE FUTURE OF COMICS (III) NICK JOHNSON has started his first year at the Alberta College of Art (and Design.) I haven't heard boo from him over the last couple of weeks, but expect he's currently occupied scooping his brains off the classroom wall and reinserting them in his recently-exploded head. That's what I was doing in my first month of art college.
As for myself...talking to lots of people about lots of things, some of which may come to something. New migraine meds mean vastly improved CRIPPLING FACEPAIN! (tm) situation and vastly diminished "Sleeping like a human being at night/being fully conscious during the day" situation. Am probably not going to finish reading "The Evolution of God" before it needs to be returned to the library, but am resisting the urge to skip to the end to discover how it all turns out (my theory: he doesn't actually exist). I'm forgetting something. Actually, I'm forgetting almost everything. New television season starting soon--might be able to get back to knowing what day it is without needing to consult a real person.
What else, what else...? Oh, yeah.
GORD!
Odds are you will never know what that's funny, but even if you did, I doubt you'd find it as funny as I do.
Good night, my little remote carstarters. May your dreams be filled with sexy robot assassins and lemon jell-o.
A
Monday, August 31, 2009
ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE wins Zuda Competition
Congratulations Robert and Kuen! I know how much effort you put not just into the comic, but the competition, and the win is well-deserved.
A
A
Friday, March 27, 2009
Comics Stuff that gives me hope
-The first volume of DRAMACON creator Svetlana Chmakova's NIGHTSCHOOL is being released by Yen Press in April. She and I did a couple readings together a year or three back, and she had a lasting impression on me as being just a really, legitimately nice person. To the best of my knowledge, she's also the only person on earth to have a copy of PARTING WAYS signed by both the artists and the writer, which I think is really neat, though I can't really articulate why.
-The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples' new WildStorm series, NORTH 40, written by PS238's Aaron Williams, was recently announced as part of the imprint's new "creator-driven" comics line. And, if I'm not mistaken, her first Wildstorm work, SECRET HISTORY OF THE AUTHORITY, written by Michael Costa, is on sale...actually, now, I think*. You should all rush out and buy three copies immediately: one to read, one to give other people to read, and one to save as a collectible that will someday pay your childrens' college tuition.
OK. maybe you should only buy two copies.
-Boom! Studios has struck a deal to get their Muppets and Disney comics on the newsstands. If they're put on a level where kids can actually see/reach them (unlike, say, the Archie digests in Safeway checkout stations), this is fantastic news for Boom! and quite possibly the wider North American comics industry as well, helping hook a new generation of comics readers at a young age. Mind you, that presumes the Muppets are still recognizable to younger readers as the slice of awesome they are (or at least once were--haven't watched any new Muppets stuff in years...), but at least The Incredibles should be able to find traction, both with kids and parents who'll be able to recognize a "safe" property for kids to read.
-After the commercial success of 52 and the less successful COUNTDOWN and TRINITY series, DC's trying something different with its upcoming weekly series, WEDNESDAY COMICS. Even if it didn't have a pretty good-looking creative roster, I'd be seriously tempted to buy it for its oversized newspaper "unfold it to read" format. While the content's obviously going to be a big deal in making or breaking the thing, I'm in love with the idea of this thing. Nice to see a major comic company breaking away from the floppy/hardcover/trade format, giving creators a different kind of canvas to work on and readers a new (or at least uncommon) comic-reading experience.
-In addition to WEDNESDAY COMICS, DC's also bringing backup stories into some of its titles as value-added material to go along with a price rise. Steven Grant did a fantastic job explaining why the backup story thing is a great idea on almost all fronts, as well as why it probably won't work, in this week's Permanent Damage column.
Even if it doesn't work, between a creator-driven line, WC and the backups, these are looking like non-curse interesting times for DC creators at least. If there's an element of "let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" to it, well, at least they are trying to find new stuff to stick. Hopefully some of it will and the perception of what mainstream comics can be expands a little.
A
(*I checked, and yes it is on sale now.)
-The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples' new WildStorm series, NORTH 40, written by PS238's Aaron Williams, was recently announced as part of the imprint's new "creator-driven" comics line. And, if I'm not mistaken, her first Wildstorm work, SECRET HISTORY OF THE AUTHORITY, written by Michael Costa, is on sale...actually, now, I think*. You should all rush out and buy three copies immediately: one to read, one to give other people to read, and one to save as a collectible that will someday pay your childrens' college tuition.
OK. maybe you should only buy two copies.
-Boom! Studios has struck a deal to get their Muppets and Disney comics on the newsstands. If they're put on a level where kids can actually see/reach them (unlike, say, the Archie digests in Safeway checkout stations), this is fantastic news for Boom! and quite possibly the wider North American comics industry as well, helping hook a new generation of comics readers at a young age. Mind you, that presumes the Muppets are still recognizable to younger readers as the slice of awesome they are (or at least once were--haven't watched any new Muppets stuff in years...), but at least The Incredibles should be able to find traction, both with kids and parents who'll be able to recognize a "safe" property for kids to read.
-After the commercial success of 52 and the less successful COUNTDOWN and TRINITY series, DC's trying something different with its upcoming weekly series, WEDNESDAY COMICS. Even if it didn't have a pretty good-looking creative roster, I'd be seriously tempted to buy it for its oversized newspaper "unfold it to read" format. While the content's obviously going to be a big deal in making or breaking the thing, I'm in love with the idea of this thing. Nice to see a major comic company breaking away from the floppy/hardcover/trade format, giving creators a different kind of canvas to work on and readers a new (or at least uncommon) comic-reading experience.
-In addition to WEDNESDAY COMICS, DC's also bringing backup stories into some of its titles as value-added material to go along with a price rise. Steven Grant did a fantastic job explaining why the backup story thing is a great idea on almost all fronts, as well as why it probably won't work, in this week's Permanent Damage column.
Even if it doesn't work, between a creator-driven line, WC and the backups, these are looking like non-curse interesting times for DC creators at least. If there's an element of "let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" to it, well, at least they are trying to find new stuff to stick. Hopefully some of it will and the perception of what mainstream comics can be expands a little.
A
(*I checked, and yes it is on sale now.)
Monday, January 5, 2009
Anybody out there got a barn I can borrow?
I need something to go get shot out behind of.
I don't know what happened last night, but I know what didn't: me sleeping. Around 8 AM I drifted off for a fitful couple hours. And that's today's hope for accomplishing anything useful shot all to hell.
One good thing to come from the entire episode: I got to listen to Tones on Tails' POP album in the ideal state of mind in which to listen to Tones on Tails' POP album. If ever there was music designed to be experienced when your connection to physical reality is tenuous at best, when shadows are starting to grow mouths and there's a small army of dwarven creatures swarming in your peripheral vision, it's POP.
***
There's a whole bunch of stuff I wanted to blog about once I returned to blogging, but I can't remember most of it. The only thing that's sticking is that today's the official debut of a couple of welcome additions to the comics webosphere.
First, there's the long-awaited* debut of Robert Burke Richardson and Stehen Yarbrough's THE MATRIARCH, in webcomic form. Haven't had a chance to read it yet--for some reason I'm having a little trouble, uhhhhh...
Focusing. Right now, but I'm looking forward to it. There's a few pages up to start with; I believe there'll be one page updates more than once a week, but I could be really, really wrong about that. Frankly, it's borderline miraculous I remembered to mention it at all, in my current fragmented state. Check it out if you've got a few minutes. Robert's one of the many people whose coattails I plan to ride to comics glory.
That last sentence made sense in my head, but looking at it onscreen I'm now wondering if I should have kept it trapped within the confines of my skull...
(*Long-awaited by me, if no one else: RBR mentioned the project to me when we first met more than three years ago. This is, regrettably, not an unusually long period of time for a comics project to lag in the comics version of Development Hell--which is like Hollywood's Development Hell, without the paycheque.)
Secondly, I have it in my head that today's the Official Premiere of Robot 6, the new blog by the former Blog@Newsarama crew, at ComicBookResources.com. This in spite of the fact that there's been a fair amount of posting there over the last few days, which makes me wonder if I've misremembered...
Nope, there's a big notice on the CBR homepage introducing R6, so I guess they were just building a little content prior to walking the virtual red carpet. To my mind, the previous incarnation of Blog@ was the best part of the corporate-controlled Newsarama, so Robot 6 is a welcome...comic weblog thingie. God, I'm tired.
Not terribly keen on the name, though, even though it does make for kind of a neat logo image.
***
Kernels Popcorn has altered the packaging for their popcorn spices, which is fine. Unfortunately for me, they also seem to have altered the formulation of their Dill Pickle flavour, dulling down the harsh, inner-mouth blistering quality of the good stuff in favour of a weaker, saltier flavour that resembles nothing so much as the popcorn flavourings I try to avoid whenever possible.
This is probably a good thing for my overall health, but from a personal Foodie POV, I fear it's the end of an era. My palate will never be the same. For one thing, it'll no longer be an unhealthy chalk white, peeling fragments of skin into the rest of my mouth.
Deep sigh.
A
I don't know what happened last night, but I know what didn't: me sleeping. Around 8 AM I drifted off for a fitful couple hours. And that's today's hope for accomplishing anything useful shot all to hell.
One good thing to come from the entire episode: I got to listen to Tones on Tails' POP album in the ideal state of mind in which to listen to Tones on Tails' POP album. If ever there was music designed to be experienced when your connection to physical reality is tenuous at best, when shadows are starting to grow mouths and there's a small army of dwarven creatures swarming in your peripheral vision, it's POP.
***
There's a whole bunch of stuff I wanted to blog about once I returned to blogging, but I can't remember most of it. The only thing that's sticking is that today's the official debut of a couple of welcome additions to the comics webosphere.
First, there's the long-awaited* debut of Robert Burke Richardson and Stehen Yarbrough's THE MATRIARCH, in webcomic form. Haven't had a chance to read it yet--for some reason I'm having a little trouble, uhhhhh...
Focusing. Right now, but I'm looking forward to it. There's a few pages up to start with; I believe there'll be one page updates more than once a week, but I could be really, really wrong about that. Frankly, it's borderline miraculous I remembered to mention it at all, in my current fragmented state. Check it out if you've got a few minutes. Robert's one of the many people whose coattails I plan to ride to comics glory.
That last sentence made sense in my head, but looking at it onscreen I'm now wondering if I should have kept it trapped within the confines of my skull...
(*Long-awaited by me, if no one else: RBR mentioned the project to me when we first met more than three years ago. This is, regrettably, not an unusually long period of time for a comics project to lag in the comics version of Development Hell--which is like Hollywood's Development Hell, without the paycheque.)
Secondly, I have it in my head that today's the Official Premiere of Robot 6, the new blog by the former Blog@Newsarama crew, at ComicBookResources.com. This in spite of the fact that there's been a fair amount of posting there over the last few days, which makes me wonder if I've misremembered...
Nope, there's a big notice on the CBR homepage introducing R6, so I guess they were just building a little content prior to walking the virtual red carpet. To my mind, the previous incarnation of Blog@ was the best part of the corporate-controlled Newsarama, so Robot 6 is a welcome...comic weblog thingie. God, I'm tired.
Not terribly keen on the name, though, even though it does make for kind of a neat logo image.
***
Kernels Popcorn has altered the packaging for their popcorn spices, which is fine. Unfortunately for me, they also seem to have altered the formulation of their Dill Pickle flavour, dulling down the harsh, inner-mouth blistering quality of the good stuff in favour of a weaker, saltier flavour that resembles nothing so much as the popcorn flavourings I try to avoid whenever possible.
This is probably a good thing for my overall health, but from a personal Foodie POV, I fear it's the end of an era. My palate will never be the same. For one thing, it'll no longer be an unhealthy chalk white, peeling fragments of skin into the rest of my mouth.
Deep sigh.
A
Friday, June 6, 2008
RANDOM NOTES FROM THE COLON OF DARKNESS
My mood has miraculously improved not at all in the last 36 hours. Definitely Bad Dairy. Probably shouldn’t be blogging publicly at the mo, but there is much to talk about, so off we go with items of interest…
***
NO FORMULA
Today on Comicon.com’s The Pulse: a roundtable discussion by all those creators participating in the NO FORMULA: STORIES FROM THE CHEMISTRY SET Volume One anthology Nick and I weren’t invited to participate in. The book’s in the current PREVIEWS, order code: JUN083849
***
THE NEW VANGUARD
In light of recent news regarding the company, I really don’t know what to make of today’s announcement that Platinum Studios is starting a new joint comic imprint, Vanguard Comics. Looks like the first title’s going to be ILLEGAL ALIENS, a project Rob Moran created and sold to the company years ago. If nothing else, it’s good that Rob’s book’s finally going to be hitting the stands. It’s been at Platinum for as long as I can remember--I think its acquisition might even predate my starting work for the company.
***
YOU GO, SVETLANA!
A glimmer of light in the depths of my oh-so-angst-ridden week: the announcement of Svetlana Chmakova’s animated series MY LIFE ME did perk me up a little. Sometimes good things do happen to good people.
***
QUOTE OF THE DAY #1
“I'm going to assume the answer to all these questions is ‘no’ and find something else to pointlessly obsess about for awhile.” Me, venting at my manager.
***
THE SHIT GOT REAL
Did I mention Vicious Ambitious’ latest multimedia extravaganza, three trailers for the non-existent film ENTER THE DRAGNET 2: DIRTY BADGES can now be viewed on YouTube? Well, now I have. These have had the really politically incorrect bits I got to see when they were initially unveiled in Calgary edited out, which is probably a good move in regards to everything other than Entertaining Me.
***
I’m told the Chimaera Universe Superhero Roleplaying Game rulebook I did a bit of work on is now available for preorder from Mongoose Publishing.
My contribution to the book came in the form of smartass descriptions of skills. One of my favourite things about the old Champions rulebook was the humourous characters used to illustrate how a given power worked. The last version of the Hero System rules I saw had done away with those--with any personality at all, really, which was depressing. So when George Singley asked me to do descriptions for a list of a hundred and fifty or so skills, he got stuff like this:
“Prestidigitation: The first thing one learns with the prestidigitation skill is how to say ‘prestidigitation’. A magician must-have, sleight of hand allows its user to deceive a watcher, making them believe something is where it isn’t while putting it somewhere else.”
and
“Speed Reading: If you had this skill, you’d already know how this game defines the Basic Law skill.”
and
“Pilot Rotor Wing: Helicopters, gyrocopters, ornithopters, other aircraft with names ending in ‘opter’…these are the kinds of things a Rotor Wing Pilot can fly and, more importantly, safely land on top of a skyscraper. Let’s see you do THAT, Mr. I’m So Cool Jetfighter Pilot…”
and
“Poetry: If you had this skill
You’d know this was no sonnet
It is a haiku.”
and
“Basic law: Basically, you know the law.”
and
“Writing: A highly overrated skill. Anybody can do this. At least, that’s what every talentless nitwit I’ve come across says when I tell them what I do for a living. YOU THINK COMING UP WITH THIS STUFF IS EASY?!?! SCREW YOU, YOU PIECE OF--(editor’s note: The publishers of the Chimaera Roleplaying Game would like assure its readers that they do not share the opinions expressed by Andrew Foley in this Skills definition, and that they’re making absolutely sure he’s actually taking his medication before allowing him to continue.)”
Strangely enough, everyone seemed to quite like this approach. I must admit, I’m curious to see how it meshes with the rest of the book.
***
QUOTE OF THE DAY #2
“There's only so much shit you can throw to the wall before the room starts to stink.” Someone in a mood as chipper and upbeat as my own.
***
Right. I’m off to try to get some work done, fail miserably, and console myself by watching seventeen episodes of Battlestar Galactica.
A
***
NO FORMULA
Today on Comicon.com’s The Pulse: a roundtable discussion by all those creators participating in the NO FORMULA: STORIES FROM THE CHEMISTRY SET Volume One anthology Nick and I weren’t invited to participate in. The book’s in the current PREVIEWS, order code: JUN083849
***
THE NEW VANGUARD
In light of recent news regarding the company, I really don’t know what to make of today’s announcement that Platinum Studios is starting a new joint comic imprint, Vanguard Comics. Looks like the first title’s going to be ILLEGAL ALIENS, a project Rob Moran created and sold to the company years ago. If nothing else, it’s good that Rob’s book’s finally going to be hitting the stands. It’s been at Platinum for as long as I can remember--I think its acquisition might even predate my starting work for the company.
***
YOU GO, SVETLANA!
A glimmer of light in the depths of my oh-so-angst-ridden week: the announcement of Svetlana Chmakova’s animated series MY LIFE ME did perk me up a little. Sometimes good things do happen to good people.
***
QUOTE OF THE DAY #1
“I'm going to assume the answer to all these questions is ‘no’ and find something else to pointlessly obsess about for awhile.” Me, venting at my manager.
***
THE SHIT GOT REAL
Did I mention Vicious Ambitious’ latest multimedia extravaganza, three trailers for the non-existent film ENTER THE DRAGNET 2: DIRTY BADGES can now be viewed on YouTube? Well, now I have. These have had the really politically incorrect bits I got to see when they were initially unveiled in Calgary edited out, which is probably a good move in regards to everything other than Entertaining Me.
***
I’m told the Chimaera Universe Superhero Roleplaying Game rulebook I did a bit of work on is now available for preorder from Mongoose Publishing.
My contribution to the book came in the form of smartass descriptions of skills. One of my favourite things about the old Champions rulebook was the humourous characters used to illustrate how a given power worked. The last version of the Hero System rules I saw had done away with those--with any personality at all, really, which was depressing. So when George Singley asked me to do descriptions for a list of a hundred and fifty or so skills, he got stuff like this:
“Prestidigitation: The first thing one learns with the prestidigitation skill is how to say ‘prestidigitation’. A magician must-have, sleight of hand allows its user to deceive a watcher, making them believe something is where it isn’t while putting it somewhere else.”
and
“Speed Reading: If you had this skill, you’d already know how this game defines the Basic Law skill.”
and
“Pilot Rotor Wing: Helicopters, gyrocopters, ornithopters, other aircraft with names ending in ‘opter’…these are the kinds of things a Rotor Wing Pilot can fly and, more importantly, safely land on top of a skyscraper. Let’s see you do THAT, Mr. I’m So Cool Jetfighter Pilot…”
and
“Poetry: If you had this skill
You’d know this was no sonnet
It is a haiku.”
and
“Basic law: Basically, you know the law.”
and
“Writing: A highly overrated skill. Anybody can do this. At least, that’s what every talentless nitwit I’ve come across says when I tell them what I do for a living. YOU THINK COMING UP WITH THIS STUFF IS EASY?!?! SCREW YOU, YOU PIECE OF--(editor’s note: The publishers of the Chimaera Roleplaying Game would like assure its readers that they do not share the opinions expressed by Andrew Foley in this Skills definition, and that they’re making absolutely sure he’s actually taking his medication before allowing him to continue.)”
Strangely enough, everyone seemed to quite like this approach. I must admit, I’m curious to see how it meshes with the rest of the book.
***
QUOTE OF THE DAY #2
“There's only so much shit you can throw to the wall before the room starts to stink.” Someone in a mood as chipper and upbeat as my own.
***
Right. I’m off to try to get some work done, fail miserably, and console myself by watching seventeen episodes of Battlestar Galactica.
A
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Nothing To Do With Me
DOGWITCH Vol.3: MOOD SWINGS hits the shelves of your finer comics retailing emporia tomorrow. I've been waiting for this concluding collection of Daniel Schaffer's black magic gothpunk sex farce for a loooong time now. I'm thrilled--like, hello kitty schoolgirl giddy, it's really kind of embarrassing--that whatever issues kept it from being released were resolved and that Image had the wisdom (I almost typed "good taste" there, but that seems somehow...wrong when talking about DW) to release the book. Hopefully this'll lead to a new printing of the first volume, which is, to the best of my knowledge, no longer available. It's also worth noting that DWv2 is solicited from original publisher Sirius Comics in this month's Previews.
Schaffer's got a thirteen page DW story, Hot Spell, on his site, if you aren't quite sure if this is your bag. But if it isn't, it ought to be.
According to some sources, THE AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS OMNIBUS was coming out tomorrow. According to MY source, it isn't. And seeing as my source owns the comic shop where I plan to purchase said Omnibus, I'm inclined to take him at his word.
My good friend and sometime collaborator Scott O. Brown has thrown his hat into DC Comics' Zuda ring, with RED ICE , a sci-fi adventure tale written by SOB and drawn by his frequent collaborator Horacio Lalia. SOB's been wanting to do this story practically since I met him, so I hope it does well enough to continue through to its conclusion.
***
GOOD AS PLATINUM
For all the people who've been asking me asking about the Platinum Studios situation: I have no idea what's going on over there. Outside of SOB, who I believe still does the occasional lettering/writing job for them, I've had no communication with anyone at the company for months--and SOB's a freelancer who doesn't really know what's going on either, at least not as far as I've heard. So please stop e-mailing me about this.
I will say that I hope DJ Coffman's successful in either regaining the rights to HERO BY NIGHT or that some other arrangement is made whereby he could continue working on the book. I've only shared a few e-mails with the guy, but his passion for the project--for comics in general, really--is as heart-felt as it is obvious.
***
FOR NO REAL REASON...
Scripts I completed for Platinum that will never be produced as comics: JEREMIAH: THE LAST EMPIRE (and boy, does that one hurt) and RETURN OF THE WRAITH
Scripts I completed that could potentially see the light of day in the form they were intended: AGE OF KINGS (which has been fully drawn and lettered for some time) and CRIMSON ROSE
Projects I created that were acquired by the company: JEST CAUSE (still one of my top 5 favourite personally written scripts), CONVICTION, DWELLERS, A FAMILY AFFAIR.
Projects I co-created for Platinum that have been returned to me and my co-writers (something I deeply appreciate, as Platinum was under no legal or even moral obligation to give them back and did anyway): THREADS and EARLY McKAY Vs. THE MORPHEUS MACHINE
And, just for fun, projects I pitched to Platinum that were rejected: PARTING WAYS, DONE TO DEATH, BadBoy, GEMINI, MASTER OF THE HOUSE
A
Schaffer's got a thirteen page DW story, Hot Spell, on his site, if you aren't quite sure if this is your bag. But if it isn't, it ought to be.
According to some sources, THE AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS OMNIBUS was coming out tomorrow. According to MY source, it isn't. And seeing as my source owns the comic shop where I plan to purchase said Omnibus, I'm inclined to take him at his word.
My good friend and sometime collaborator Scott O. Brown has thrown his hat into DC Comics' Zuda ring, with RED ICE , a sci-fi adventure tale written by SOB and drawn by his frequent collaborator Horacio Lalia. SOB's been wanting to do this story practically since I met him, so I hope it does well enough to continue through to its conclusion.
***
GOOD AS PLATINUM
For all the people who've been asking me asking about the Platinum Studios situation: I have no idea what's going on over there. Outside of SOB, who I believe still does the occasional lettering/writing job for them, I've had no communication with anyone at the company for months--and SOB's a freelancer who doesn't really know what's going on either, at least not as far as I've heard. So please stop e-mailing me about this.
I will say that I hope DJ Coffman's successful in either regaining the rights to HERO BY NIGHT or that some other arrangement is made whereby he could continue working on the book. I've only shared a few e-mails with the guy, but his passion for the project--for comics in general, really--is as heart-felt as it is obvious.
***
FOR NO REAL REASON...
Scripts I completed for Platinum that will never be produced as comics: JEREMIAH: THE LAST EMPIRE (and boy, does that one hurt) and RETURN OF THE WRAITH
Scripts I completed that could potentially see the light of day in the form they were intended: AGE OF KINGS (which has been fully drawn and lettered for some time) and CRIMSON ROSE
Projects I created that were acquired by the company: JEST CAUSE (still one of my top 5 favourite personally written scripts), CONVICTION, DWELLERS, A FAMILY AFFAIR.
Projects I co-created for Platinum that have been returned to me and my co-writers (something I deeply appreciate, as Platinum was under no legal or even moral obligation to give them back and did anyway): THREADS and EARLY McKAY Vs. THE MORPHEUS MACHINE
And, just for fun, projects I pitched to Platinum that were rejected: PARTING WAYS, DONE TO DEATH, BadBoy, GEMINI, MASTER OF THE HOUSE
A
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Quote of the Day
From Scott O. Brown, regarding my upcoming critique a script of his:
"Be honest, and live with your decision, whether it involves success, failure, or my mailing you my head in a box with a printout of your notes shoved in my mouth and the words BLAME ANDREW written on my forehead."
I don't think SOB intended this to be read as a challenge, but I do now feel like I've got something to strive for...
A
"Be honest, and live with your decision, whether it involves success, failure, or my mailing you my head in a box with a printout of your notes shoved in my mouth and the words BLAME ANDREW written on my forehead."
I don't think SOB intended this to be read as a challenge, but I do now feel like I've got something to strive for...
A
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Let's Talk About Me.
Questions via Marc Bryant. Because sometimes, your brain's too mushy to do much other than delve into your own navel...
2. If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Lobster
3. Spell your name how it sounds.
Androo
4. Name one word to describe your personality?
nervous
5. What are your top 3 Turn Ons on the opposite sex?
sense of humour, shared interests, looks
7. Where do you see yourself in 6 years?
wondering what the hell happened over the last six years...
8. What is your favorite piece of jewelry?
My wedding ring. Kind of a win by default, as it's my only piece of jewelry.
9. What type of service is your cellphone?
Cellphones cause cancer. I use Tiina's when I've absolutely got to. I think she's on Virgin.
10. What do you hate most about N.Y State?
That the people who live there have a geographic advantage over me when it comes to working in my preferred field of employment.
11. What kind of car is your dream car?
One with a chauffeur.
12. Can you leave the house without makeup?
I can leave the house without pants.
13. What are your top 3 favorite stores to shop at?
Happy Harbor, any used bookstore, Mr. Big & Tall. That said, I don't really like shopping.
14. Do you consider yourself to be good-looking?
Depends on my mood.
15. What do you miss about being a kid?
The sense of invincibility and the inevitability of my own success.
16. What is your favorite animal?
Data the Dog.
17. Do you think you're going to have a good Valentines Day?
As good as any other V-Day. T and I don't recognize most holidays and we couldn't be much more mushy than we are on a daily basis already, at least not without a substantially higher bank balance.
18. Apple, Orange, Cranberry juice?
Orange.
19. Do you get enough sleep at night?
There aren't enough hours in the night for me to get enough sleep in it. Occasionally I get enough hours if I start in the early evening and finish mid-afternoon the next day. Very occasionally.
20. Favorite Channel on T.V ?
Whatever's got what I want to watch on at a given moment.
21. Are you dating the person you text most?
I don't text. Unless you count e-mails, in which case, no. But then, the person I date is within shouting distance at least 18 hours of the average day, so it's not like there's much call for that.
22. whats your favorite color[s]?
Depends what the colours are on. For clothes, black. For interior walls, yellow. Red's cool for most food. I guess what I'm saying is I don't really have a favourite colour, though anything in the watered down cream-colour vein isn't for me.
23. What do you want?
I want it all, but I'll settle for lots of money and fame. Actually, I'll settle for lots of money. Or enough money to live as I do now without worrying and a moderate amount of fame.
24. Who was the last person you shared a bed with?
Tiina. Cats don't count as people, right?
25. Do you talk to yourself?
All the time. Strangely enough, I don't listen to myself.
26. Do you drink milk straight from the carton?
I'm allergic to milk. But I would if I wasn't.
27. Who knows a dark secret or two about you?
Pretty much everyone. It's not like I have that many dark secrets, and the ones I do know aren't really about me.
29. Do you like Batman?
Depends on who's writing him.
30. Who did you last hug?
Tiina.
31. Do you swear at your parent(s)?
No. It's gotten to the point where I can swear near them and not feel terribly uncomfortable. Then again, it's not like they've done anything to me to merit being sworn at, so it's a weird question.
32. Do you like anyone now?
Many people.
33. When was the last time you lied?
I never lie. I frequently exaggerate for entertainment purposes.
34. Obama, Hillary, McCain, or Huckabee?
Obama, just because I like his rhetoric and I don't really know what he'd do or be able to do, but it'd be more interesting than the other three.
35. Is your birthday on a holiday?
No. Is yours?
36. What instant messaging service do you use?
None. I waste enough time on e-mail and blogging, I wouldn't get ANYTHING done if I had IM.
37. Last thing you cooked today?
Seafood salad melt sandwiches.
38. Did you have a nap today?
Not yet.
39. Who's house did you go to last?
House? Probably Dave and Lindy's.
41. Why is the sky blue?
I believe the particles in the air refract the light so it appears blue, but I believe a lot of incorrect things.
42. Do you like green beans?
No.
43. Do you swear a lot?
Define a lot. It really depends how comfortable I am with who I'm talking to and what kind of humour I think they have.
44. Where did you get the shirt you're wearing?
Tiina gave it to me. No idea where she got it.
45. Have any regrets?
I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention.
No replace "few" with "many".
46. Do you use an alarm clock?
Only when I need to be up at a certain time, which isn't often.
47. Where are you?
Home, in bed.
48. Do you ever snort when you laugh?
Probably.
49. Whats the first thing you notice on the opposite sex?
The face.
50. Do you wear underwear?
Usually.
51. Who/What would you like to see right now?
A cheque for a million dollars that I know won't bounce, made out to me.
52. Are you social?
No. I am the opposite of social.
53. Are you afraid of the dark?
No. I'm afraid of what's IN the dark.
55. Who was the last person you talked to?
Tiina. Dogs don't count, do they?
56. Are you happy with your life?
The parts I'm happy with, I'm very happy with. The parts I'm unhappy with, I'm very unhappy with, but the good outweighs the bad.
57. Last person who you told your problems to?
I tell my problems to everyone. I think the last time I really dumped on someone was on my manager on Friday, though Tiina and most people in my vicinity getting a running commentary of how sucky my life is on a regular basis.
58. What are you doing tonight?
Sleeping if possible. Writing or reading if not. Watching TV if that's not doable, even though I'm pretty sure there's nothing new worth watching tonight.
61. Who's your best friend?
Tiina.
62. Do you think he/she will always be there for you?
I hope so, because I'd be in real trouble without her.
63. What is your myspace song right now?
I don't do the MySpace song thing--too much time waiting for other peoples' pages to load up to inflict that on someone else.
64. Do you prefer to text or IM?
IM, but I'd really prefer to do neither.
65. Who'd you get this from?
Marc
66. Do you believe the number 6 is the number of death?
No. I believe the number 4 is the number of appetizers, though.
67. What are your favorite magazines?
Don't regularly read any magazines, but if there's a TIME, Rolling Stone, or Comics Journal lying around, they get flipped through first.
A
2. If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Lobster
3. Spell your name how it sounds.
Androo
4. Name one word to describe your personality?
nervous
5. What are your top 3 Turn Ons on the opposite sex?
sense of humour, shared interests, looks
7. Where do you see yourself in 6 years?
wondering what the hell happened over the last six years...
8. What is your favorite piece of jewelry?
My wedding ring. Kind of a win by default, as it's my only piece of jewelry.
9. What type of service is your cellphone?
Cellphones cause cancer. I use Tiina's when I've absolutely got to. I think she's on Virgin.
10. What do you hate most about N.Y State?
That the people who live there have a geographic advantage over me when it comes to working in my preferred field of employment.
11. What kind of car is your dream car?
One with a chauffeur.
12. Can you leave the house without makeup?
I can leave the house without pants.
13. What are your top 3 favorite stores to shop at?
Happy Harbor, any used bookstore, Mr. Big & Tall. That said, I don't really like shopping.
14. Do you consider yourself to be good-looking?
Depends on my mood.
15. What do you miss about being a kid?
The sense of invincibility and the inevitability of my own success.
16. What is your favorite animal?
Data the Dog.
17. Do you think you're going to have a good Valentines Day?
As good as any other V-Day. T and I don't recognize most holidays and we couldn't be much more mushy than we are on a daily basis already, at least not without a substantially higher bank balance.
18. Apple, Orange, Cranberry juice?
Orange.
19. Do you get enough sleep at night?
There aren't enough hours in the night for me to get enough sleep in it. Occasionally I get enough hours if I start in the early evening and finish mid-afternoon the next day. Very occasionally.
20. Favorite Channel on T.V ?
Whatever's got what I want to watch on at a given moment.
21. Are you dating the person you text most?
I don't text. Unless you count e-mails, in which case, no. But then, the person I date is within shouting distance at least 18 hours of the average day, so it's not like there's much call for that.
22. whats your favorite color[s]?
Depends what the colours are on. For clothes, black. For interior walls, yellow. Red's cool for most food. I guess what I'm saying is I don't really have a favourite colour, though anything in the watered down cream-colour vein isn't for me.
23. What do you want?
I want it all, but I'll settle for lots of money and fame. Actually, I'll settle for lots of money. Or enough money to live as I do now without worrying and a moderate amount of fame.
24. Who was the last person you shared a bed with?
Tiina. Cats don't count as people, right?
25. Do you talk to yourself?
All the time. Strangely enough, I don't listen to myself.
26. Do you drink milk straight from the carton?
I'm allergic to milk. But I would if I wasn't.
27. Who knows a dark secret or two about you?
Pretty much everyone. It's not like I have that many dark secrets, and the ones I do know aren't really about me.
29. Do you like Batman?
Depends on who's writing him.
30. Who did you last hug?
Tiina.
31. Do you swear at your parent(s)?
No. It's gotten to the point where I can swear near them and not feel terribly uncomfortable. Then again, it's not like they've done anything to me to merit being sworn at, so it's a weird question.
32. Do you like anyone now?
Many people.
33. When was the last time you lied?
I never lie. I frequently exaggerate for entertainment purposes.
34. Obama, Hillary, McCain, or Huckabee?
Obama, just because I like his rhetoric and I don't really know what he'd do or be able to do, but it'd be more interesting than the other three.
35. Is your birthday on a holiday?
No. Is yours?
36. What instant messaging service do you use?
None. I waste enough time on e-mail and blogging, I wouldn't get ANYTHING done if I had IM.
37. Last thing you cooked today?
Seafood salad melt sandwiches.
38. Did you have a nap today?
Not yet.
39. Who's house did you go to last?
House? Probably Dave and Lindy's.
41. Why is the sky blue?
I believe the particles in the air refract the light so it appears blue, but I believe a lot of incorrect things.
42. Do you like green beans?
No.
43. Do you swear a lot?
Define a lot. It really depends how comfortable I am with who I'm talking to and what kind of humour I think they have.
44. Where did you get the shirt you're wearing?
Tiina gave it to me. No idea where she got it.
45. Have any regrets?
I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention.
No replace "few" with "many".
46. Do you use an alarm clock?
Only when I need to be up at a certain time, which isn't often.
47. Where are you?
Home, in bed.
48. Do you ever snort when you laugh?
Probably.
49. Whats the first thing you notice on the opposite sex?
The face.
50. Do you wear underwear?
Usually.
51. Who/What would you like to see right now?
A cheque for a million dollars that I know won't bounce, made out to me.
52. Are you social?
No. I am the opposite of social.
53. Are you afraid of the dark?
No. I'm afraid of what's IN the dark.
55. Who was the last person you talked to?
Tiina. Dogs don't count, do they?
56. Are you happy with your life?
The parts I'm happy with, I'm very happy with. The parts I'm unhappy with, I'm very unhappy with, but the good outweighs the bad.
57. Last person who you told your problems to?
I tell my problems to everyone. I think the last time I really dumped on someone was on my manager on Friday, though Tiina and most people in my vicinity getting a running commentary of how sucky my life is on a regular basis.
58. What are you doing tonight?
Sleeping if possible. Writing or reading if not. Watching TV if that's not doable, even though I'm pretty sure there's nothing new worth watching tonight.
61. Who's your best friend?
Tiina.
62. Do you think he/she will always be there for you?
I hope so, because I'd be in real trouble without her.
63. What is your myspace song right now?
I don't do the MySpace song thing--too much time waiting for other peoples' pages to load up to inflict that on someone else.
64. Do you prefer to text or IM?
IM, but I'd really prefer to do neither.
65. Who'd you get this from?
Marc
66. Do you believe the number 6 is the number of death?
No. I believe the number 4 is the number of appetizers, though.
67. What are your favorite magazines?
Don't regularly read any magazines, but if there's a TIME, Rolling Stone, or Comics Journal lying around, they get flipped through first.
A
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Nicknames I have been known and loved by.
Nicknames I have been known and loved by.
A couple of my friends are really getting kicked around the last few days. One's being screwed over by unscrupulous ex-business partners; the other's waiting to hear back from a doctor whether or not he's just in rough shape, or terrifyingly bad shape, healthwise.
Knowing that these guys have troubles that make mine look like molehills with delusions of grandeur, I find myself pre-shamed into not complaining about my sixteen-month long sinus headache, or sore back, or the Catscan I had yesterday.
Actually, I couldn't complain about the Catscan--well, I could, I can complain about anything, it's a gift--but I shouldn't. It was the smoothest medical procedure I've ever had to endure, and I've had to endure a lot of them. In fact, I was actually halfway back home when the time of my appointment rolled around. I got there early and they took me right in. I don't think that's ever happened for me before. Every medical test should be like yesterday's Catscan.
Unwilling for the moment to dwell on the awful void that is my near-perfect life (for the Perfect Life, just Add Money!), I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to write about (in public--I've got TONS of stuff I ought to be writing independently...). So what you get is this:
As some of you know, I've been writing a monthly column for Award-Winning comic retail chain Happy Harbor Comics, "Kid Drew's YOU WANT TO BUY THIS!" When he read the title of the column, my friend Marc "Marcus" Bryant (writer of THE GATESVILLE COMPANY and SHOTGUN WEDDING, two generally excellent comics cut down in their prime by the demise of Speakeasy Comics) was...less than enthusiastic about the title. The reason he wasn't enthusiastic had nothing to do with the contents of the column (which is my picks for the best bets from each month's PREVIEW catalogue--I started doing this in lieu of my Skewed Perspectives reviews because I was getting sick of writing about what I didn't like that I was reading. It's much easier to be enthusiastic and upbeat about something that sounds interesting and/or good in advance of its release, even easier when a few people actually take a chance and order something I recommended...nothing like an audience to get a writer's juices flowing...).
No, Marc's problem was with the title. He thought I'd dubbed myself "Kid Drew". And to him, that was hinky.
The people who actually read YWTBT! probably also read the HARBOR LIFE webcomic, and know that Kid Drew is a character in the strip based loosely on yours truly. Unlike Kid Drew, I don't habitually wear a Luchadore mask, nor do I try and frighten people into buying comics I like. I do, however, shove comics I like in the faces of people I think should buy them. If they find that frightening, well, that's not my fault.
Over at his blog, artist vunderkind Nick Johnson has declared me "The Pastor of Disaster." Which, given my deeply-held conviction that everything sucks, is certainly apropos. Or at least Tiina thinks so.
Kid Drew and The Pastor of Disaster are just two of many nicknames I have had over the years--a few of which haven't fallen through the holes in my swiss cheese memory. Some of them I liked, some of them I didn't mind, a couple of them I tried to convince everyone to call me because I thought that would be cool. None of them stuck for any length of time, which I believe was the point of a nickname I had in high school--one I was so proud of I even painted it on a ballcap, just so everyone would know I self-identified as "The Undefined."
Inside my high-school social group (read as: roleplaying geeks who hung out with each other), there were two subgroups: the Man-Men and the others. The Others each got unique nicknames, none of them particularly complimentary. The Man-Men were the ones who could pass as cool; they were known by the nickname "The (Insert Name Here) -Man". There was The Matt-Man, the Don-Man, a couple others. Sometimes I was granted the Andy-Man status, but mostly it was agreed that I just...wasn't a Man-Man. But neither then was I really one of the Others. I got along with all of them fine, for the most part; in some ways I was the one thing they all had in common. But I didn't really fit in either group...I was The Undefined.
Mind you, now that I think about it, most of the Man-Men eventually got into body-building and weightlifting (I recently reconnected with The Matt-Man and found out that he's been taking part in Strong-Man competitions...). So maybe The Undefined wasn't the compliment I liked to think it was...
I had several nicknames among the painters I worked with as a summer job while I attended art college. My favourite (though I have a hard time fathoming why at this point in time) was "The Human Eclipse", which generally got shortened down to "Eclipse".
Partly because I've had greying hair since my mid-teens, and partly because I dressed up to go out for the crew's annual Calgary Stampede Drink-Up (in which the boss did the impossible and made Stampede tolerable by paying for his crews' consumption of a terrifying quantity of alcohol), the boss' brother dubbed me "The Silver Fox". I imagine I was called other, far less complimentary names behind my back. I vaguely recall repeatedly calling someone an awful name (I don't remember what it actually was anymore, but it wasn't nice) for a couple days, simply because I'd never heard anyone on the crew refer to him by his actual name and had written off the nickname as an unfortunate choice made in a moment of weakness by cruel parents...ahh, the joys of the blue-collar life...
One of my closest friends in Art College made a valiant run at getting me known as "Boxcar." If that had stuck, I believe I would've taken up blues guitar.
As much as I like the idea of being known as The Pastor of Distaster, I still think the longest-running nickname I had for several years as a child is probably the most accurate.
Dad had my number from a very early age, when he started calling me "Bummer." I was fifteen before I realized "bummer" had a negative connotation.
A
A couple of my friends are really getting kicked around the last few days. One's being screwed over by unscrupulous ex-business partners; the other's waiting to hear back from a doctor whether or not he's just in rough shape, or terrifyingly bad shape, healthwise.
Knowing that these guys have troubles that make mine look like molehills with delusions of grandeur, I find myself pre-shamed into not complaining about my sixteen-month long sinus headache, or sore back, or the Catscan I had yesterday.
Actually, I couldn't complain about the Catscan--well, I could, I can complain about anything, it's a gift--but I shouldn't. It was the smoothest medical procedure I've ever had to endure, and I've had to endure a lot of them. In fact, I was actually halfway back home when the time of my appointment rolled around. I got there early and they took me right in. I don't think that's ever happened for me before. Every medical test should be like yesterday's Catscan.
Unwilling for the moment to dwell on the awful void that is my near-perfect life (for the Perfect Life, just Add Money!), I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to write about (in public--I've got TONS of stuff I ought to be writing independently...). So what you get is this:
As some of you know, I've been writing a monthly column for Award-Winning comic retail chain Happy Harbor Comics, "Kid Drew's YOU WANT TO BUY THIS!" When he read the title of the column, my friend Marc "Marcus" Bryant (writer of THE GATESVILLE COMPANY and SHOTGUN WEDDING, two generally excellent comics cut down in their prime by the demise of Speakeasy Comics) was...less than enthusiastic about the title. The reason he wasn't enthusiastic had nothing to do with the contents of the column (which is my picks for the best bets from each month's PREVIEW catalogue--I started doing this in lieu of my Skewed Perspectives reviews because I was getting sick of writing about what I didn't like that I was reading. It's much easier to be enthusiastic and upbeat about something that sounds interesting and/or good in advance of its release, even easier when a few people actually take a chance and order something I recommended...nothing like an audience to get a writer's juices flowing...).
No, Marc's problem was with the title. He thought I'd dubbed myself "Kid Drew". And to him, that was hinky.
The people who actually read YWTBT! probably also read the HARBOR LIFE webcomic, and know that Kid Drew is a character in the strip based loosely on yours truly. Unlike Kid Drew, I don't habitually wear a Luchadore mask, nor do I try and frighten people into buying comics I like. I do, however, shove comics I like in the faces of people I think should buy them. If they find that frightening, well, that's not my fault.
Over at his blog, artist vunderkind Nick Johnson has declared me "The Pastor of Disaster." Which, given my deeply-held conviction that everything sucks, is certainly apropos. Or at least Tiina thinks so.
Kid Drew and The Pastor of Disaster are just two of many nicknames I have had over the years--a few of which haven't fallen through the holes in my swiss cheese memory. Some of them I liked, some of them I didn't mind, a couple of them I tried to convince everyone to call me because I thought that would be cool. None of them stuck for any length of time, which I believe was the point of a nickname I had in high school--one I was so proud of I even painted it on a ballcap, just so everyone would know I self-identified as "The Undefined."
Inside my high-school social group (read as: roleplaying geeks who hung out with each other), there were two subgroups: the Man-Men and the others. The Others each got unique nicknames, none of them particularly complimentary. The Man-Men were the ones who could pass as cool; they were known by the nickname "The (Insert Name Here) -Man". There was The Matt-Man, the Don-Man, a couple others. Sometimes I was granted the Andy-Man status, but mostly it was agreed that I just...wasn't a Man-Man. But neither then was I really one of the Others. I got along with all of them fine, for the most part; in some ways I was the one thing they all had in common. But I didn't really fit in either group...I was The Undefined.
Mind you, now that I think about it, most of the Man-Men eventually got into body-building and weightlifting (I recently reconnected with The Matt-Man and found out that he's been taking part in Strong-Man competitions...). So maybe The Undefined wasn't the compliment I liked to think it was...
I had several nicknames among the painters I worked with as a summer job while I attended art college. My favourite (though I have a hard time fathoming why at this point in time) was "The Human Eclipse", which generally got shortened down to "Eclipse".
Partly because I've had greying hair since my mid-teens, and partly because I dressed up to go out for the crew's annual Calgary Stampede Drink-Up (in which the boss did the impossible and made Stampede tolerable by paying for his crews' consumption of a terrifying quantity of alcohol), the boss' brother dubbed me "The Silver Fox". I imagine I was called other, far less complimentary names behind my back. I vaguely recall repeatedly calling someone an awful name (I don't remember what it actually was anymore, but it wasn't nice) for a couple days, simply because I'd never heard anyone on the crew refer to him by his actual name and had written off the nickname as an unfortunate choice made in a moment of weakness by cruel parents...ahh, the joys of the blue-collar life...
One of my closest friends in Art College made a valiant run at getting me known as "Boxcar." If that had stuck, I believe I would've taken up blues guitar.
As much as I like the idea of being known as The Pastor of Distaster, I still think the longest-running nickname I had for several years as a child is probably the most accurate.
Dad had my number from a very early age, when he started calling me "Bummer." I was fifteen before I realized "bummer" had a negative connotation.
A
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
(What Do I Think of) The Group Dynamic? In a Word: Dynamic."
Calgary's Vicious Ambitious collective of comic creators (of which my HOLIDAY MEN collaborator Nick Johnson is a founding member) have made a mockumentary about themselves, entitled "A Vicious Day's Night", and, in their typically blatant disregard for anything resembling good taste and public morality, put it online for all the world to see.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
AVDN features, among other things, Nick Johnson in his underwear and a cameo by The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples. I am not featured in any way, which I think is a major oversight that will cost them in the long run.
Watching this video reminds me of art college.
A
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
AVDN features, among other things, Nick Johnson in his underwear and a cameo by The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples. I am not featured in any way, which I think is a major oversight that will cost them in the long run.
Watching this video reminds me of art college.
A
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
URBIS FAERIE
Because, as much as you might want to, you can't spend ALL your time reading the first installment of THE HOLIDAY MEN:
Robert Burke Richardson and Martin Morazzo's comic URBIS FAERIE has been selected for the latest round of Zuda Comics' ongoing webcomic contest. Congratulations and good luck, Robert!
***
LATE, AS IN THE LATE DENTAL ARTHUR DENTAL
Terrible subtitle, I know, but I've had a long day. Cut me some slack, you judgmental swine...
Celebrated the debut of THE HOLIDAY MEN by taking a trip to the dentist. Since when did dentists start not doing all fillings in one visit? That's irritating as hell...and my head's still throbbing from the blast of ice-cold air they inflicted on what was apparently a thoroughly exposed nerve.
On the upside, it doesn't look like I'll be having pieces of my head torn out in the immediate future. Joy.
***
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Thanks to everyone who's written me and Nick or commented publicly on THE HOLIDAY MEN's first installment. I can't tell you how heartening it is to know that at least those of you who can be bothered to talk to us "get it"--even better, you get it and you seem to like it. And that's the sort of thing that'll keep Nick and I going. We aren't in this comic thing for the money; we're doing it for the love AND the money.
Foley
Robert Burke Richardson and Martin Morazzo's comic URBIS FAERIE has been selected for the latest round of Zuda Comics' ongoing webcomic contest. Congratulations and good luck, Robert!
***
LATE, AS IN THE LATE DENTAL ARTHUR DENTAL
Terrible subtitle, I know, but I've had a long day. Cut me some slack, you judgmental swine...
Celebrated the debut of THE HOLIDAY MEN by taking a trip to the dentist. Since when did dentists start not doing all fillings in one visit? That's irritating as hell...and my head's still throbbing from the blast of ice-cold air they inflicted on what was apparently a thoroughly exposed nerve.
On the upside, it doesn't look like I'll be having pieces of my head torn out in the immediate future. Joy.
***
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Thanks to everyone who's written me and Nick or commented publicly on THE HOLIDAY MEN's first installment. I can't tell you how heartening it is to know that at least those of you who can be bothered to talk to us "get it"--even better, you get it and you seem to like it. And that's the sort of thing that'll keep Nick and I going. We aren't in this comic thing for the money; we're doing it for the love AND the money.
Foley
Friday, September 28, 2007
Another Edition of The Nobody Tells Me Nothin' Files
Things I discovered today that I might have mentioned earlier if someone had bothered to tell me about them:
1) My friend and sometimes co-writer collaborator Scott O. Brown's graphic novel THEY DO NOT DIE! is being serialized online at Ambrosia Publishing. The gritty B&W art (reminiscent of 2000AD/Vertigo artist Carlos Ezquerra) for the project is by his DEATH VALLEY (Speakeasy, not Boom! version) collaborator Horacio Lallia.
2) The sequel to COWBOYS & ALIENS, C&A: WORLDS AT WAR, is being serialized online drunkduck.com. This is not the sequel I was writing in late '06--that project was canceled after the departure of the Nordling and McLauchlin editorial regimes at Platinum. I'm not familiar with any of the creators involved and haven't had a chance to read the thing yet (other than series creator Scott Rosenberg, of course), but at the very least the art of seen is a cut above what the first one ended up with, and it looks like the story's being constructed in such a way as to accommodate a monitor. If I understand the approach the company's taking to the sequel correctly, this could be an interesting storytelling experiment. If it doesn't lead the editor to go on a bloody killing spree first, anyway--the organization it's going to require is frightening.
***
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, DON'T GET FESTIVE...GET SATISFACTION.
In other news, everybody seems to like Nick Johnson's HOLIDAY MEN promo image, including me. We're working on some other promo stuff before we go public with the team shot, but yeah. Things are coming together.
***
I NEED A BETTER CLASS OF READER/FRIEND/FAN
It seems like everyone out there who would theoretically like to see me do a 24-Hour Comic for charity is unwilling or (more often than not) unable to put any cash towards the charitable donation entry fee to take part in Happy Harbor's event.
Apparently, Rupert Murdoch got his start publishing comics, but do I know him? NO! I know a bunch of other people who're busy trying to scrounge up a hundred bucks to do the event themselves. I should moon you all, I really should.
But I love you, so I won't.
A
1) My friend and sometimes co-writer collaborator Scott O. Brown's graphic novel THEY DO NOT DIE! is being serialized online at Ambrosia Publishing. The gritty B&W art (reminiscent of 2000AD/Vertigo artist Carlos Ezquerra) for the project is by his DEATH VALLEY (Speakeasy, not Boom! version) collaborator Horacio Lallia.
2) The sequel to COWBOYS & ALIENS, C&A: WORLDS AT WAR, is being serialized online drunkduck.com. This is not the sequel I was writing in late '06--that project was canceled after the departure of the Nordling and McLauchlin editorial regimes at Platinum. I'm not familiar with any of the creators involved and haven't had a chance to read the thing yet (other than series creator Scott Rosenberg, of course), but at the very least the art of seen is a cut above what the first one ended up with, and it looks like the story's being constructed in such a way as to accommodate a monitor. If I understand the approach the company's taking to the sequel correctly, this could be an interesting storytelling experiment. If it doesn't lead the editor to go on a bloody killing spree first, anyway--the organization it's going to require is frightening.
***
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, DON'T GET FESTIVE...GET SATISFACTION.
In other news, everybody seems to like Nick Johnson's HOLIDAY MEN promo image, including me. We're working on some other promo stuff before we go public with the team shot, but yeah. Things are coming together.
***
I NEED A BETTER CLASS OF READER/FRIEND/FAN
It seems like everyone out there who would theoretically like to see me do a 24-Hour Comic for charity is unwilling or (more often than not) unable to put any cash towards the charitable donation entry fee to take part in Happy Harbor's event.
Apparently, Rupert Murdoch got his start publishing comics, but do I know him? NO! I know a bunch of other people who're busy trying to scrounge up a hundred bucks to do the event themselves. I should moon you all, I really should.
But I love you, so I won't.
A
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